


Family Thanksgiving

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21516946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Jack gets sick the day he is supposed to have Thanksgiving with Alex's family.
Kudos: 3





	Family Thanksgiving

“Jack, my parents absolutely love you, there’s no need for you to be so nervous for tomorrow,” Alex said as he climbed into bed.  
“Well, I am nervous. I’ve not seen them much since we were in high school, and I know I didn’t make the greatest impression then. Now that we’re together, I want to fix that,” Jack said, filtering through his closet for a good outfit for the next day.  
“I promise that they liked you back then, and they still do now. Why don’t you come here, and we can get some sleep. There’s no point in stressing yourself out this much,” Alex suggested.  
“You’re right, I can pick out my outfit tomorrow, and try to relax for now. I’ve been really tired all day, so hopefully getting a good night’s sleep will help me out some for tomorrow,” Jack replied. He quickly changed into some comfy PJs, then got into his side of the bed.  
“Goodnight Jack, I love you. Sleep well,” Alex said, reaching over to turn out the light.  
“I love you, too, Alex,” Jack replied. They exchanged a quick kiss, then snuggled into each other so they could drift off to sleep. Jack laid in bed, but he couldn’t help but still feel nervous.   
Tomorrow was Thanksgiving Day, and the two of them planned to spend it with Alex’s family. They’d been dating for about a year and were starting to get more serious. Jack knew that he loved Alex very much, and desperately wanted to make a good impression as Alex’s boyfriend the next day.   
He’d spent the entire day feeling anxious, despite Alex’s many attempts to assure Jack that everything would be fine. Jack tried to push out these thoughts and get comfortable, but some aches in his body were making this difficult. Eventually, he pulled his covers up since he felt a bit chilly, then drifted off to sleep.  
\---------------  
The next time Jack woke up, it was pitch black outside, Alex was still asleep next to him, and he was having a hard time breathing due to the congestion in his head. He also felt a tickle in his throat, and quickly got up and went to the bathroom so he could have a coughing fit without disturbing Alex.   
Once he calmed himself, he looked in the mirror. He looked very worn out, and dark circles under his eyes. He’d felt a bit off the day before but didn’t expect it to turn into this. On top of the congestion, sore throat and cough, he still had the chills and aches he’d gone to bed with.  
“Of course I get sick now, of all times,” Jack muttered to himself. He tried to blow his nose as much as he could so he could hopefully get back to sleep and be able to breathe. A few tissues and a sneezing fit later, Jack walked back into his shared bedroom.   
Luckily, Alex was still sound asleep. Jack decided that he wasn’t going to tell Alex about this. He knew his boyfriend was so excited to go to his parents’, and Jack didn’t want to mess that up for him. He knew he’d have to really try hard to seem fine and impress Alex’s parents now, but he hoped that he’d be able to pull it off.  
\-----------------  
“Jack, you need to wake up. We have to leave in about thirty minutes,” Alex said, trying to shake Jack awake. Jack turned to Alex and was immediately struck with a coughing fit that made him sit up in bed. Alex was quick to sit next to Jack and rub his back until the fit finally went away.  
“That didn’t sound good, are you coming down with something?” Alex asked, sounding concerned. Every symptom Jack had seemed to have intensified throughout the night, much to his frustration.   
As much as Jack wanted to be honest and tell Alex just how badly he felt so he could spend the day in bed resting, he knew he couldn’t do that.  
“I’m all good, I think there was just some dust. You know, we should really vacuum more,” Jack joked.  
“As long as you’re sure. So, we have to leave here in half an hour, and since you slept so late, I picked out an outfit for you. Not only will you look amazing in it, but it will also impress my parents,” Alex said, pointing to a pair of slacks and a dress shirt that Alex had put on the dresser.  
“You’re the best, thank you. I’m going to go take a shower,” Jack said. He was hit with chills as soon as he took off his blanket but tried to ignore it as he walked into the bathroom. While he waited for the water to warm up, he took his temperature, and saw that it was a little over 100.   
He took a shower, then took some cold and flu medicine in hopes that it would make his symptoms more manageable, so he’d be able to survive the day. Before going back into the bedroom, he had a coughing fit that he really hoped that Alex wasn’t able to hear.   
When he walked into the bedroom, he saw Alex finishing up getting ready, making him assume that he was in the clear.  
“You look great,” Jack said, making Alex blush some.  
“Thanks, and you will, too,” Alex replied. He went to give Jack a kiss, but Jack blocked him.  
“Aw, no kiss?” Alex pouted.  
“We can do that later,” Jack replied in a teasing voice. In reality, he didn’t want to get Alex sick, one of them under the weather was bad enough. Jack quickly got dressed, then they left for Alex’s parents’’ house. Once they got there, Alex let the two of them inside.  
“Hey mom, Jack and I are here!” Alex called out.  
“I’m in the kitchen!” she yelled back. Alex led Jack to the kitchen, where they saw Alex’s mom adding the marshmallows to the sweet potato casserole. When she saw Alex, she walked over to him and hugged him.  
“It’s so good to see you, sweetie!” she exclaimed.  
“You too, mom,” Alex replied.  
“And, Jack, I haven’t seen you in ages!” Mrs. Gaskarth said, giving Jack a hug.  
“It’s great to see you again, Mrs. Gaskarth,” Jack replied.  
“I’m so glad you guys are here. Your dad is setting up the channel that will show the game we’re going to watch after we eat,” Mrs. Gaskarth explained. Seconds later, Alex’s dad walked into the room.  
“Hey boys!” Mr. Gaskarth said, pulling them into a group hug.  
“Hey dad!” Alex exclaimed.  
“I’m glad you’re here. It’s good to see you, Jack,” Mr. Gaskarth said, shaking Jack’s hand.  
“You too, sir,” Jack replied with a smile. Seconds later, he broke into a sneezing fit.  
“Are you alright, Jack?” Mrs. Gaskarth asked when Jack stopped.  
“Yeah, just a little tickle. Let’s eat!” Jack exclaimed. Alex gave Jack a suspicious look, but Jack acted like he didn’t notice it. They all took their seats at the table and started to pass around the food.   
“This all looks great, Mrs. Gaskarth,” Jack said, putting some stuffing on his plate.  
“Thank you, Jack,” she said with a smile. While Jack didn’t feel sick to his stomach, he wasn’t really hungry. Still, he took some food to not concern Alex, or offend his mom.   
Every bite made his throat sting, so he eventually started to pick at his food. About halfway through the meal, his nose started to run, and he ended up using his sleeve as a tissue to not have to get up constantly to blow his nose.   
Most of the conversation was about Alex and Jack’s relationship, and how everything was going. Jack didn’t talk nearly as much as Alex, but Alex’s parents seemed happy for them, which was really all Jack cared about.   
Once they were done eating, they cleared the table and went out to the living room to watch the Ravens game.  
“Perfect timing!” Alex exclaimed as he sat on the love seat with Jack.  
“You’ve got that right, son!” Mr. Gaskarth replied, sitting on the couch with his wife. Not too long into the game, Jack felt his chills start to pick back up, making him shiver. It didn’t take Alex too long to pick up on this.  
“Jack, are you shivering?” Alex asked quietly enough for only Jack to hear.  
“Um, I think it’s a bit drafty in here, so yeah,” Jack lied. Alex grabbed the blanket draped off the back of the couch and gave it to Jack.   
“Here, this should help,” Alex said.  
“Thanks,” Jack replied with a smile. Not much later, the Ravens scored a touchdown. Alex and his dad yelled to show their excitement, and Jack tried to do the same, but hurt his throat, which he tried to play off. He quickly realized that he was going to have a coughing fit from it, so he excused himself to the bathroom.   
Once he shut the bathroom door, he broke into his most painful coughing fit of the day. It made his throat feel like it was on fire, and the pain made him tear up some.   
Alex decided to check on Jack since he’d been acting a bit off all day. When he got close to the bathroom, he heard Jack’s coughing, and felt a wave of concern go through him. He opened the door, and saw Jack still coughing and blowing his nose. He rubbed Jack’s back until the fit finally stopped.  
“Hey, you’ve been coughing a lot today, are you sick?” Alex asked.  
“I’m fine,” Jack replied, his voice now raspy from the coughing. Not believing Jack, Alex put his hand to Jack’s forehead, and noticed how warm it felt.  
“You feel warm. When did you start feeling bad?” Alex asked.  
“Last night,” Jack admitted, knowing there was no way he could convince Alex otherwise now.  
“Jack, why didn’t you say something? We could’ve stayed home,” Alex replied.  
“I didn’t want to piss off your parents or you,” Jack replied.  
“They would’ve understood, and I would’ve, too. You can’t help getting sick. Let’s get you home,” Alex decided.  
“Alex-“ Jack started.  
“No Jack, you need rest, come on,” Alex stated. Knowing he’d lost, Jack followed Alex back to the living room.  
“So, Jack’s feeling a bit sick, so I think we’re going to head home,” Alex told his parents.  
“Okay, I hope you feel better, Jack,” Mrs. Gaskarth said, giving Jack a sympathetic look.  
“Thank you,” Jack said with a cough. The drive home was mostly silent, with the only exception of Jack’s occasional coughs and sneezes.   
Once they got back, they both changed into PJs, and Alex set them up on the couch. Alex gave Jack medicine, then took his temperature.  
“100.8. Jack, next time you’re sick, please tell me, don’t do this again,” Alex said, letting Jack snuggle into him.  
“I’m sorry, Alex. I just didn’t ruin the day, I really thought that I could get through it,” Jack replied.  
“Well, I appreciate the thought. You’re so selfless, that’s part of the reason I fell in love with you so hard,” Alex said. He tried to kiss Jack, but Jack quickly turned away.  
“I refuse to get you sick, Alex. Hell, you really shouldn’t even be near me right now,” Jack said, sounding sad at this realization.  
“But with you is the only place that I want to be,” Alex said, hugging Jack closer and kissing his forehead.  
“I love-“ Jack cut himself off with a small coughing fit, and Alex rubbed his back until it was over.  
“As I was saying, I love you, Alex,” Jack finished.   
“I love you, too, Jack. Now, let’s get some rest,” Alex replied. Alex played with Jack’s hair until he eventually drifted off to sleep, feeling lucky that he had the best boyfriend out there.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey guys! This is the third of my four Thanksgiving stories that I wrote! I almost never write them dating like I did here, but I thought it fit the storyline better. The last one is my favorite, and that’ll be up a week from today!! I've still got a few more requests to write/post, and those will be up in the near future! Please continue to send them in as you think of them! Thank you for reading, it really does mean a lot. Lots of love, Liv.


End file.
